St. Louis Reporter

County Executive Dr. Sam Page highlighted an asset that’s offered to the youth of St. Louis County, the Center for Youth on the Rise.

The Center for Youth on the Rise opened in 2012, born out of community input to provide more opportunities for our young people, especially in North County. This facility offers drop-in hours, life skills workshops, counseling services, educational support, employment preparation, youth specialist case management and legal assistance.

“We know that the more opportunities we offer for our young people, the better chance they have at success,” Dr. Page said. “Across the country, there are concerns about crimes involving our young people. That’s why it is critical to provide more access to recreation, education assistance and social activities that allows our young people to stay active and engaged so they can be successful both in and outside of school.”

In his press briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Page recognized the Youth Advisory Council, another asset offered to our youth of St. Louis County. This 15-member council appointed by Dr. Page is charged with advising county agencies and the county executive office on issues affecting youth. Some of those issues includes mental health, helping support the unhoused population, addressing climate change and cleaning up our communities.

 “I can tell you after meeting with the youth council, we have an incredibly bright group of kids,” Dr. Page said. “Working with our youth, we can identify the areas where we need to put more resources, develop policy and create a better St. Louis County for our next generation.”

Similar to our Youth Advisory Council, the Center at Youth on the Rise is another trusted resource for assessing support services in our county. This creation was made possible by community partners of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Parkway Area Adult Education and Literacy and the St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund.

A special thank you to our director of Human Services, Howard Hayes, whose office oversees the Center at Youth on the Rise. Also, thank you to D’Juan Huddleston, who manages our Youth Programs Division, which includes operating the center. He also serves as the department liaison for our Youth Advisory Council.

Original source can be found here.